Haiti Update – October 2025
Hello friends! Let me share with you what God is doing in and through LRH.
First, I would like to tell you about a beautiful girl named Esther that joined our family in April. Esther is twelve years old and has spent the last four years of her short life as a child slave. Yes! Sadly, you heard me correctly. In Haiti they call a child slave a restavek. IBESR (Haiti’s child protective services) found her and took her from the family that was abusing her. They asked if LRH would take her in and we gladly accepted.
Let me share Esther’s story as we know it: Esther was born in Port au Prince. Her mother died when she was between six and seven. From what we can tell Esther’s father has not been in her life. Her grandfather tried to care for her but struggled to feed himself and was unable to provide for Esther. She was then handed over to another family and eventually ended up in Cap Haitian with a second family who used her as a work slave.
Esther’s ability to attend school in the past four years was limited. She was responsible for walking to the water well multiple times a day to fill a 55-gallon drum the family had at their home. Her hands were rough and callused from carrying buckets of water from the well to the house each day. When the 55-gallon drum was filled, she was then told to sell goods on the street as well as other work. She was beaten when she didn’t complete the task demanded of her.
There are estimates of several hundred thousand kids in Haiti that are restaveks. We have children from diverse backgrounds that are in our care. Some of the kids placed with us have been abused but Esther is the first child that we know of that has been a child slave. It breaks our hearts to hear of her story. We are grateful IBESR was able to intervene and get Esther to us.
LRH will continue to Defend the Oppressed.
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Isaiah 1:17
Our Haitian staff from our director to our mamas have been loving and supporting Esther in every way possible. We quickly got her placed in the school where the other children attend. The other children have shown her compassion, friendship, and she is thriving. We can’t change her past but by the grace of God we can help change her future.
Esther when she arrived Esther recent photo
https://louisianareachhaiti.org.reachapp.co/sponsorships
We invite you to sponsor Esther or any of our other kids. These sponsorships help us pay for school related expenses (tuition, books, supplies, and food) for both the kids in our care and those reunified. Please pray for Esther and for all the children in our care.
Second, let me share with you the great news that we were able to reunify two children this summer. As you know God has placed on the heart of our organization to reunify children in our care with their families when safe to do so. Let me share with you the stories of Carlens and Kimberly.
Carlens was a short placement with us. IBESR placed him with us after he became lost from his family. He was at a festival in Cap Haitien with his grandfather from out of town when they got separated. He went to the Police, and they released him to the IBESR. We were asked if Carlens could stay with us and we gladly accepted him. Antonio, our Haitian Director immediately started sending out information on him through social media and received a response in just a couple of weeks. On July 27th Antonio was able to meet Carlens’ grandfather and he was in tears after being reunited with Carlens. It’s uncommon to see a man in Haiti cry but this man was so thankful to God that Carlens had been found that he was broken in tears. I can only imagine the pain he has endured not knowing where Carlens was for a couple of weeks. I’m so thankful for Antonio’s work in finding his grandfather. Most of all I’m thankful to the good Lord for allowing us to be part of this reunification.
Kimberly has been with us for months after IBESR placed her with us when her family was kicked out of the Dominican Republic. We were told this placement would be short-term, less than a year. Antonio and I were able to meet Kimberly’s aunt and grandmother in early July. They came to the center hoping to visit Kimberly and discuss getting her back. The grandmother, who was in poor health, came to visit first and we were able to pray with her and allow her to visit Kimberly. She was pleased by how well we had taken care of Kimberly. Kimberly’s aunt also came to see her. With agreement from IBESR, LRH and Kimberly’s mother, we reunified Kimberly with her family. We agreed to help pay for school for Kimberly when she starts back up in September. Again, we celebrate and are blessed by God to be part of restoring families. Please keep Carlens, Kimberly, and their families in your prayers.
Kimberly, her Aunt and Grandmother Director Antonio, Carlens and his grandfather
Let me share one more important item with you. By the end of the year, we will have three girls and one boy that will be eighteen years old. These kids are mature but not ready for life on their own. We are working on a three-years plan to usher them into young adulthood. We will work to find vocational and apprenticeships allowing these four to gain a skill that will help them become self-sufficient. We will need to move them into another house where they are separated from the younger kids. We are looking at Beoda and Netdjie providing mentorship and living with them in a new house. Beoda and Netdjie have both grown up in an orphanage, gone to college, and become wonderful young adults. They will be a great example to the older kids and can help them make the adjustments that come with adulthood.
For this to happen and for the work of LRH to continue we need your support. We operate on $160,000 a year but that will need to increase to accommodate those kids that age out. We are looking for a house to rent for our older kids. We will also need funds from everything from drinking water to vocational school. For 2026 we will need $200,000 to cover all of our costs.
You can give at our website: https://LouisianaReachHaiti.org or mail a check to Louisiana Reach Haiti, 18112 Kenner Drive, Prairieville, LA 70769. Consider sponsoring a child for $30 a month.
Prayer Request: Please continue to pray for the safety of our staff and kids. Pray for the our kids that will be aging out. Please pray for peace in Haiti. Pray for wisdom in all the decisions we make.
Pray we can get teams to Cap Haitien in 2026.
Thank you and God Bless!
Sincerely,
Darrin Badon
Louisiana Reach Haiti Board Members:
Darrin Badon – President, Laura Vidrine – Secretary, James Gardner – Treasurer, Ron
Greenwich, Clifton Rideaux, and Dr. Wayne Sheppard
